DANVILLE —
Local legislators left the General Assembly Wednesday unsatisfied with the goals set forward in Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address.
Quinn, speaking for almost 40 minutes, outlined goals pushing for the creation of jobs and stressing the need for more education funding.
The reactions were bipartisan, as both Democratic state Sen. Michael Frerichs of Champaign and Republican state Rep. Chad Hays of Catlin were looking for more from the governor.
“This is a nice vision, but I’m looking for more,” Frerichs said Wednesday afternoon.
Quinn’s plan — referred to as the Illinois Jobs Agenda for 2012 — highlighted ideas ranging from tax credits to launching a foreclosure network.
Frerichs said after hearing the speech that he thought the governor had several good ideas, including further investment in education. But the key is implementation, noting that a lot of the ideas will involve decreased revenue and increased spending.
That makes plans difficult to follow through without some kind of alternate cut.
“The real question is how we are able to afford that,” Frerichs said. “Those are the details we are waiting for.”
Frerichs acknowledged that the State of the State Address is not ordinarily where plans are laid out in their entirety. That could come later this month when the governor gives his budget address.
Hays, meanwhile, characterized the governor’s speech as baffling, adding there is an enormous gap in the reality of where the state is with $8.5 billion in bills.
“Halfway though (the speech) I wasn’t sure if I was listening to our governor or Ricardo Montalban on ‘Fantasy Island,’” he said, noting the governor was “extraordinarily light on substance.”
“I am hopeful in three weeks from now when the governor delivers his budget address, it is more robust in terms of specifics,” he added.
Hays pointed out that unemployment is up a full point compared to this time a year ago. He stressed the state can’t cut it’s way to prosperity.
“In addition to that, you have to have a growing private sector and business climate that is viable for job growth,” he said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn greets lawmakers Wednesday before delivering his State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly in the House chambers at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. Associated Press
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